HOUSTON — A community is reeling after a 76-year-old church caught fire on Houston’s south side Thursday night.
According to the Houston Fire Department, no one was hurt in the fire. However, members of the South Union Missionary Baptist Church are trying to figure out what’s next.
Just before midnight on Thursday, HFD responded to a fire in the sanctuary on Lydia Street near Tierwester Street. They struggled at first to get into the church.
Luckily, they were able to keep the fire from spreading to other parts of the building, but where they hold church service is severely damaged.
One woman who says she’s best friends with a church founder’s daughter told KHOU 11 they were coming back from the rodeo last night when they saw the flames.
“We were pulling up to her home and we saw her church on fire. Her daddy is one of the original founders of the church,” Helen Flores said.
“Yes, it is a devastating loss,” Michael Smith, pastor of the South Union Missionary Baptist Church, said. “We are just going to get together as a group and say which way to go forward.”
Arson investigators are trying to determine the cause.